The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-10-12
AFTER GETTYSBURG.
SEARCH OF WAR NEWS.
Te1egraphing Under Difficulties - The
Strange Signal ''K. Ia -Hasty Dis
patch-What Lincoln Told Gen.
Meade a Few Days Later.
fCroffut's New York Letter.I


newcomer was A H Byington, editor OF
The NorwaIk, Conn, Gazette, who has been
an attache of congress for the last thirty
years During three years Of the war ne
served The New York Tribune as Washing
ton and field correspondent, and often left
the quartermasters' accounts to look out
for themselves and lent him hand
Lincoln is always in ORDER" I suggested.
81 know what he thought about the battle
of Gettysburg" said Byington. "But- it
wouldn't do to print it Though, having a
| newspaper of my own that is always hungry
for gossip, have never ventured to air it.
| As preliminary TO what Lincoln said per-
haps, had better recall the beat got on
the other newspapers in reporting the battle
Of Gettysburg"
We agreed, and he sailed ahead at was
the latter part of June, 1868, that I got dis
patch from Culpepper court house, to hurry
out there, for our army was on the move. 1
went at once, but the army had already
started north at rapid pace, trying to keep
| between the rebel army and Washington
! Hooker was in command / went to the
/ headquarters of Meade, who was stationed
at Goose creek. He told me there was going
! to be battle, but my best way was to go
! back to Washington and hurry up to
| Harper's Ferry, and there would head off
! the army and find the Seventeenth Con-
/
my horses.
"When got to Harper's Ferry I found
| Hooker in a fume. l soon learned that he
| had demanded to have the 10000 inactive
men ON Boliver heights attached to his own
! army for the battle with Lee, and that Hal
Ieck had refused. Hooker resigned that
afternoon, and Lincoln commissioned Meade
to command the army of the Potomac. The
! Seventeenth Connecticut was still ahead of
/ Rob HN1-Io Of fno iO1If
brigade was there, and he took my map and
marked a red ring around on it on the Penn
sylvania line, and said, within few days
there would be within that circle one Of the
biggest fights the world ever saw. Go
around to Baltimore and head it off at
York, Pa
again 1 followed directions I tried
Baltimore, but news came there that the
rebels had burnt the bridges and torn up
the track 1 finally went to Phila-
delphia and got to York by way of
Lancaster, determined to be the first re-
porter on the ground. The track was torn
up but got minister to carry me twelve
miles in his wagon. j. E. B. Stuart's rebel
cavalry had been to York, Quilted the
provision stores and taken $50, 900 from the
bank. Occasionally heard gun go off in
the southwest. / hired buggy, telling the
owner to charge it to The Tribune if never
came back, and drove in the direction of the
cannonading.
II drove away twelve miles, encountering
some rebel cavalry on the way, and got to
Hanover. There had been q severe cavalry
fight there. The town had disorderly
appearance; people stayed close in their
houses, and the debris of arms and accoutre-
ments lay along the roads. The wounded
were gathered in the church. Telegraph
wires were broken and strewn around.
az af the hotel and 4Skod tho land
lord if there was no telegraph operator
there. Yes, there he is said he, pointing
out little hunchback named Tone. asked
him where his battery was. AT home
under the bed he said. The wires are all
cut, and there is no use trying to telegraph
After considerable parleying got some men
to go out on a hand-car and fix the wires,
paying the men and making myself re-
sponsible for the value of the car. Then the
battery was brought out and we got Balti-
more the operator promising an absolute
monopoly of the wire for two days.
"Then hurried to the battlefield, some
five miles off. Before reaching there met
Gen. Howard, and he told me of the first
days fight of Reynolds death, and many
whom 1 had engaged at Lancaster
to follow me, and we sent off by our
private telegraph wire an account of the
fight of the first two days. It was magni-
ficent feat No other accounts got through
that night, and between $50 and midnight
The Tribune sold IS, 900 copies on the streets
of the city.
"Tone kept getting the strange signal XII
*. L What the dickens does x L mean?
he asked Pm afraid the rebs have tapped
our wire. Finally he found out that it was
the war department at Washington. we
have got Byington's first DESPATCH said
&c
more. We are listening For two days
sent exclusive dispatches over my wire,
giving all particulars of the great battle
while The Herald was running relays Of
horses. l tele graphed that the railroad was
whole from Baltimore to Hanover, and the
government sent out trains for our wounded.
The surgeon told me that that railroad saved
Gen. Sickles' life.
"After the battle I got horse and
hurried on after the rebels, wondering that
Meade did not pursue. They were all broken
up and demoFalized, the roadside strewn
with sick men, with dead horses and aban-
doned weapons Next day / came up with
Lees main army. It was huddled together
in horseshOe-shaped bend of the Potomac
in valley surrounded by hills on one side
and by the swollen and rushing river on the
other. 1t would have been easy to bag them
all. Their flight was fatally interrupted
The pontoons they had crossed on were swept
away, and they had no means to recross.
By friend who had accompanied me sent
back to President Lincoln and The Tribune
the somewhat too previous dispatch: We've
got Lees army tig hit. It cannot escape'
@After waiting there while turned back
to meet Meade's army, which 1 supposed
must be rapidly approaching up the road.
In vain I looked and waited. 1t did not
heave in sight Well you know the rest
81 was at Washington when Meade came
to report after the battle OF Gettysburg. 1
asked Gid. Welles, secretary of the navy,
about the interview. L was present in the
Cabinet he said, when Gen. Meade came to
tell about the battle, and take counsel about
the situation 'Doyou know, general, Mr.. Lin
coin suddenly broke out, with laugh what
your attitude toward Lee for week after
the battle of Gettysburg reminded me Off
No, Mr.. President, what is itr asked Meade